About Me

Where do I begin? I guess At the beginning! I live in beautiful Tasmania, Australia with my wonderful hubby, Matthew and our four angels (part time devils) Isaac, Reuben, Isabella, and Charlotte. Currently I'm a stay-at-home mum and I absolutely love that. Nothing else compares. I'm also studying the Master of Teaching part-time and I'm serving as the relief society president of our ward. I love being outside, especially in summer. I love big windows & lots of light. I love swimming, running and mowing the lawn! my favourite vegetable is carrots (or potatoes if mum's baked them) and I love fresh fruit salad. My most favourite thing to do is spend time with my precious family.

Friday, March 5, 2010

I always thought multitasking was a good thing...

that was until last night. I was in the kitchen, doing the usual 'mum' thing - a hundred things at once when a pot of oil caught alight and did quite a bit of damage!

The funny thing is that I thought I was super organised yesterday but I still found myself busy as a bee in the kitchen last evening. I had butter chicken all ready to go in the slow cooker (really yummy recipe by the way, have to post that some time) rice cooking in the microwave, and golden syrup dumplings almost ready to pop in the saucepan for desert - I had promised the kids earlier I'd make desert on Friday night. I decided to turn on a pot of oil to make the pappadams we always have with butter chicken and while the oil was heating turned to finish mixing the dumplings. A short time later I noticed a flicker of light on a packet sitting beside me on the bench and turned to see where it came from. I was confronted with large flames leaping from the pot of oil and lapping at the range hood. Immediately I grabbed the lid to suffocate the flames - didn't work, the flames just squeezed out from under the lid! and were getting taller by the second. Isaac, by this stage had heard me utter a 'swear word' (yeah I know I'm the RS President but there's no perfection prerequisite for that or I wouldn't be there!!) and was going mental (he's not that good with emergencies). I yelled for Matt who was reading in another room and had heard a bit of a commotion but didn't think much of it until he too heard the 'swear word'. He came running in like a super-hero and totally saved the day. He did accidentally burn himself though so obviously he's not a real super-hero!

So the damage is: totally stuffed range hood, gas cook top, cupboard doors, floor damage where hot oil spilled over and blistered the timber finish, the pot and two lids are cactus, the whole house has smoke damage, the laminex above the oven is all melted.

The insurance company sent two guys around last night to clean up a bit and assess what else would need to be done. So now we have this dirty great 'air filter' machine in our kitchen which has to run continuously until they come back on Tuesday. It is LOUD but everything is starting to smell cleaner. On Tuesday they will come and do something called a smoke sponge (or something like that) they have special sponges they wipe over walls and ceilings and they can tell just how far the tiny particles of soot have traveled. On just looking last night they are certain the kitchen, lounge room, family room and hall way will all have to be washed.

I can't believe how much damage occurred in what was about 30-40 seconds. Anyway here are a few photos taken by my neighbour ('coz I still don't have a camera!!)

P.S We still got to eat the butter chicken - 'twas delicious and I even managed to finish the dumplings. I'm glad we decided to get the BBQ with the hot plate, I think it will come in very handy over the next week.

P.P.S I like to think of myself as a fairly positive person and I like to think that something good comes from everything, saying that I figure there are a few 'goods' from this; I'll never turn my back on cooking oil ever again, I'll get some new kitchen items, there's no excess and insurance covers everything, I'll get my ceilings and walls washed and best of all I wont have to cook for a while :)

11 comments:

Matt mentioned this at basketball this morning and showed off his "J" burn! reminds of when I was in about grade 7 and came home after school one day to a fire raging on the kitchen bench. Mum had left the old kettle on (one that doesn't turn its self off), and gone out, the kettle had melted and the heat element was burning through the bench top. there where flames up under the cupboards and the microwave was burning along with some other appliances on the bench. I turned the power off at the fuse box and put it out, and waited till Mum came home, from the other room heard her walk into the kitchen and freeze and utter a bit of a swear too! :) Smoke damage sucks had to repaint roofs in the lounge and hallways and stuff! and it was just on everything! Still sounds like things could have be much worse!

you are amazing and HUMAN...30-40 seconds MORE and the whole lot could have been gone...maybe you willge a new kitchen out of this ...glad no one ws hurt and everyone is safe ..that is all that really matters...(hey i am in the YWs PRES and i uttered a swear word as well when i had the THIRD accident in 2 months backing into a parked car just out of my sight line across the road last friday..he he)

OH MY GOODNESS!! This story was AMAZING!! I can't believe it!! That is insane and it could have ended very badly. I am glad it got under control quickly - even if you did have use swear words to get Matt realising something serious was happening!!!!